Oral Reply by Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport Chee Hong Tat to Parliamentary Question on Bus Captain Abuse

Mr Desmond Choo asked the Minister for Transport

a.      how many substantiated cases of abuse committed against bus captains were there in each of the last three years; and

b.     what further steps have been taken to improve the protection of bus captains in the course of their work.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Transport

a.     how many cases of assault against bus captains are reported annually in the past five years;

b.     what are the penalties taken against the assailants; and

c.     whether protective shields will be installed in our public buses to enhance protection.

Reply by Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport Chee Hong Tat

1.     We have shared previously in this House that the Government, our Public transport operators (“PTOs”) and the National Transport Workers’ Union (“NTWU”) take a united and firm position against physical and verbal abuse of Bus Captains (“BCs”) by a small minority of errant commuters. Let me be clear that there is zero tolerance for such behaviours, and commuters who abuse our BCs will face serious consequences including jail time.

2.     There were 26 BC abuse cases by passengers reported by our Public Transport Operators in 2018, 52 in 2019, 50 in 2020, 35 in 2021, and 27 in 2022 thus far.

3.     Perpetrators can be charged under the Protection from Harassment Act and be liable on conviction for an imprisonment term of up to 12 months, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. They may also be charged for voluntarily causing hurt under the Penal Code, which carries an imprisonment term of up to three years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. Members can read from recent media reports that the offenders were jailed and fined for abusing our BCs.

4.     The installation of protective barriers in buses was trialled in 2018 and 2020. However, these were discontinued as bus captains had provided feedback that the glare from the barriers posed a safety risk when driving.

5.     Mr Speaker, the large majority of commuters are law-abiding and some go the extra mile to show their appreciation to our BCs and public transport workers. I thank these commuters for their kind words and encouragement. These acts of kindness are appreciated by our public transport workers, and form part of the efforts to build a more gracious and considerate commuting culture.